Amazing Woman is Going on a 2100-Mile Hike to Help Save Elephants From the Ivory Trade

Between the constant and perpetual cycle of habitat destruction, the environmental strain of factory farming, and the dwindling number of wildlife species able to survive these conditions, the planet is definitely not in as good a shape as it should be. With the constant influx of disheartening news about the destruction of Earth’s environment, it can be hard to believe we can do anything in the face of such a tremendous problem. Despite the gravity of the situation, we must remember that one individual can make a wonderful impact just through their own actions.

Patricia Welty, for example, has recently started a 2100-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail, a feat the activist is enduring to raise money for nonprofits working to protect elephants. She decided to embark on this campaign after learning about the crisis facing African elephants.

Welty, who became vegan in 2004 and two years later started a nonprofit for farm animals called A Vegan Life, will be funding the hike entirely herself.

She has started a crowdfunding campaign and is accepting donations, all of which will go to Conservation Lower Zambezi and African Wildlife Foundation.

An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat, and other body parts and between 35,000 and 50,000 African elephants are poached each year to satisfy the global demand of ivory.

While the U.S had made some definite strides to tackle this problem by banning imported ivory and destroying tons of confiscated ivory, there is still a lot of work to be done. After all, the U.S. is the second largest market for illegal ivory after China and we aren’t exactly doing the wild elephant population any favors by importing animals to put them on display in zoos.

The fact that elephant poaching will lead to the extinction to this magnificent creature is a message not yet understood on a global level. Hopefully, if more people take to the issue as Patricia Welty has, with or without hiking, the message will not only be understood but acted upon within the next decade.

All Image Source: Patricia Welty/ You Caring Compassionate Crowdfunding Campaign